‘Can You Dig It?’ Folse to release vegetable cookbook

Chef John Folse’s newest cookbook “Can You Dig It: Louisiana’s Authoritative Collection of Vegetable Cookery,” is an ode to vegetables and Louisiana’s love affair with gardening, according to the Chef John Folse & Company news release.
Readers can expect to find chapters on the swamp floor pantry, root vegetables, leafy greens, off the vine, grains, exotics and more. Recipes focus on vegetables as the primary ingredient in appetizers, soups, salads, sides, entrées, breads, desserts and even drinks.
While some veggies are delicious straight from the ground, Folse took great care to include an array of cooking methods for each vegetable included, all bringing out different flavors and textures. Just as “After the Hunt” presented unique recipes for preparing wild game and “Hooks, Lies & Alibis” offered new ways of preparing fish and shellfish, “Can You Dig It” brings vegetables to the forefront.
“Historically, vegetables have been the unsung heroes of the food world,” Folse said. “In ‘Can You Dig It’ vegetables are elevated to culinary masterpieces worthy of center-of-the-plate prestige. We’ve given the phrase ‘eat your vegetables’ a whole new taste!”
“Can You Dig It” is nearly 950 pages in length with more than 600 vegetable-focused recipes. Books go on sale Dec. 2, kicking off at 6 p.m. with a launch party at Barnes & Noble Citiplace in Baton Rouge featuring the unveiling of the cover image and tastings of recipes from the book.
The cookbook begins with a look to the past by co-author Michaela York. The history of agriculture is told from ancient man and biblical perspectives; there are discussions of farming in antiquity including Egypt, Greece and Rome; gardens of the Middle Ages and Renaissance are explored; as well as the discovery of America and vegetables’ influence on population and power through the Columbian Exchange. The history section culminates in an overview of Louisiana’s deep roots in agriculture, with particular focus on the farming methods of the seven nations that make up Louisiana culture and cuisine.
Cookbook signings are scheduled throughout Louisiana during December. Retail price of cookbook is $59.95. For additional information contact Michaela York (michaelay@jfolse.com) or Danling Gideon (danlingg@jfolse.com) at 225-644-6000.
Folse is the owner and executive chef of his Louisiana-based corporations including Chef John Folse & Company Manufacturing, White Oak Plantation and Exceptional Endings Bakery Division. He is CEO/CFO of Home on the Range: Folse Tramonto Restaurant Development Company, parent corporation of Restaurant R’evolution, New Orleans, and Seafood R’evolution, Ridgeland, Mississippi. He is the author of numerous cookbooks and hosts a nationally syndicated television cooking show, A Taste of Louisiana. Additionally, the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University is named in his honor.